Phew

The backyard, post hurricane.

I put the rock on the kids' slide to keep it from blowing up.

We are still here, which is saying a lot today.  We have power, a dry basement and a sound roof, unlike many around us.  Irene packed less punch than advertised here in New Jersey.  We received almost 10" of rain according to the National Weather Service, but had no flooding.  High winds knocked down sticks and small limbs from the giant, weedy silver maple that dominates our garden, but the tree is still standing.  

I took a moment in Saturday's hurricane prep to say a quiet "good luck and goodbye(?)" to the garden, not knowing what shape it would be in afterwards.  Seems silly in retrospect.

The maple survives.

Furniture lashed together by the sandbox.

We have a lot of this to clean up.

And this.

Our savior?

Underneath the backyard a 6' city storm sewer carries a buried stream.  The drain above is located near our garden gate, in the lowest part of the yard.  I made sure it was clear before the storm.  It silently swallowed thousands of gallons of water and kept us from flooding.

May it be decades before another hurricane strikes here.